News

The main components of any whisky are ethanol and water, usually found in a ratio of around 40:60, but it is actually the minor components that give the spirit its unique characteristics. Despite composing <1% of the total volume, these minor components are responsible for both aroma and flavour.

All molecules can be classed as water-loving (hydrophilic), water-hating (hydrophobic) or a bit of both (amphiphilic).

Ethanol is made up of two carbons (-CH2-CH3) attached to an oxygen (-OH) and so is one of these ‘all-rounders’.

The -OH (hydroxyl) part loves water, but the two carbons would prefer to keep as much distance between themselves and water as possible.

To achieve this at low concentrations, the ethanol molecules will line up at the surface of water within a glass, with the –OH pointing towards the water, and the carbon chain sticking up into the air.

At higher concentrations, things get even more interesting! Once there are too many ethanol molecules to fit in a monolayer, the ethanol starts to fall out into the main body of water and can form tight balls (or micelles) to that force the water to the outside and keep the hydrophobic chains on the inside. When this happens, some of the lovely, tasty aromatic components rush to be inside and away from the water too. (Fun fact: this is exactly how washing up liquid helps cleaning up greasy dishes!)

Once inside the micelle, a molecule can’t evaporate to reach your nose so the bouquet is hidden and, on tasting, can be rolled right past your taste receptors.

But what about adding water? As you add water, the opposite happens, with the number of micelles dropping and the flavour compounds being forced out into the water. At that point, the only way out is up – with nowhere to hide, all components are presented for your enjoyment of a full burst of smell and flavour (you can check out our blog on chill filtration for more information on how related processes can affect flavour).

Recent computational studies have even suggested that it is the monolayer itself that alters flavour as it coats your tongue, but the authors do note that this was never put to the taste test!

So after all this, what is the answer? Well, here at Ardgowan we have concluded (after extensive testing) that the ‘correct’ way to take your favourite dram is…simply that which brings you the most enjoyment.

Slàinte Mhath,

Dr. Kate McAdam, PhD

B.A. (Mod) MedChem

The Distillery has commissioned Bodegas Miguel Martín to construct the sustainably sourced European oak casks, at a cost of between 30 and 40 times more than standard whisky casks.

As construction of our £20m distillery building project begins, Ardgowan has also appointed our new Master of Wood, Stuart MacPherson, who joins us from Edrington and brings 43 years of experience at some of the world’s most successful spirits companies, including more than a decade as Master of Wood at The Macallan.

Martin McAdam, CEO of Ardgowan Distillery, said:

“With up to 80% of whisky aromas and flavours deriving from casks, it’s imperative to have a Master of Wood as experienced as Stuart to perfect our maturation process. The cask supply contract is an enormous commitment from Ardgowan and demonstrates our dedication to quality and our desire to create a fantastic whisky.

“The Ardgowan Infinity Cask is specifically designed for us and is the first unique cask design for the Scottish Whisky industry in over a century. The casks are specifically designed for long-maturation and will be seasoned with organic sherry for 27 months – far longer than the industry standard of 12-18 months.

“While others hurry to take their whisky to market Ardgowan has made a conscious decision to delay the introduction of our single malt to market to make sure we’re getting the most out of these special casks.”

Roland Grain, principal shareholder at Ardgowan and Director of Investments commented:

“Our partnership with Bodegas Miguel Martín is indicative of our commitment to creating what we hope to be the finest whisky in the world. The first batch of Ardgowan Infinity Casks have already been manufactured and are now seasoning for at least two years in Bodegas’ dunnage warehouse in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

“While many distilleries tend to just finish their spirits in sherry casks, our whisky will be matured for its whole life in these first-fill Infinity Casks. We have already spent more money on our casks than many others are investing into building a distillery.”

We have already revealed plans for our £20 million distillery, our ‘cathedral of whisky’, with first production scheduled for 2024. A total funding package of £24m has been secured for the project so far, with the distillery recently raising in excess of £3.6m via a convertible loan note to shareholders.

Roland added:

“We’re fortunate to have received excellent financial support from investors so far as we commit to delivering to a true low carbon distillery, and shortly we will be announcing our Clan Ardgowan programme enabling whisky lovers around the world to join our crusade.”

In addition to creating 47 local jobs for Inverclyde, we have invested in leading technologies to put sustainability at the heart of our plans, partnering with Heriot-Watt University and engineers Briggs of Burton to develop pioneering technology to capture all of the CO2 in its fermentation process and transform it into green biomethane. The technique has never been used in a Scotch whisky distillery before.